FOOD REVIEW: Rosso's Italiano | Poole Quay

Rosso’s Italiano is a modern Italian restaurant situated in the heart of historic Poole Quay, with stunning views over the second largest natural harbour in the world. Total Guide to Poole recently popped down to review an evening meal at this authentic Italian.

Venue

Rosso’s Italiano is a modern and stylish open-plan restaurant based on the first floor of Dolphin Quays, offering stunning panoramic views of Sandbanks, Brownsea Island and the Purbecks. We visited on a cold, rainy Monday evening in February and were warmly welcomed by our host for the evening, Mada.

Food

Poole has a vast array of fantastic restaurants. There are several Italian restaurants in Poole, including two further down the quay, which we have visited before and we were intrigued to see how Rosso’s would differ….

Both my husband and I adore Italian food, whether it’s a filling bowl of pasta or a crisp, cheesy pizza, we simply couldn’t decide what to order! Rosso’s has a well-rounded menu, with plenty to choose from, with a real focus on fresh local fish. 

Mada proudly explained to us, that the fish is caught locally, great to hear, especially when they’re located so close to the sea!

We started our meal with a chicken Caesar Insalata which was delicious, full of crunchy iceberg lettuce, moist chicken, homemade croutons & drizzled with a creamy dressing. My husband chose the Calamari E Gamberi Frittura- which he described as the best calamari he’s ever had and the prawns were both juicy, cooked to perfection, and succulent. 

For main courses, I had the tastiest pizza I’ve had in a long long time. The Quattro Fomaggi base was crispy & thin, cooked in a traditional pizza oven, loaded with blue cheese, smoked cheese, parmesan and mozzarella. Delicious and a must-try. 

My husband decided on the Risotto Pescatora and this was packed with prawns, clams, mussels and squid, in a fresh tomato-based sauce, finished with white wine & garlic which he described as exquisite! Two sensational meals made us feel as if we had popped to Italy for a quick evening meal.

By this point we were pretty stuffed, but I have such a sweet tooth that I couldn’t resist a dessert. Rosso’s dessert menu is small but features the favourites we all know and love. Having scanned the menu, I settled for a Crème Brûlée. 

Mada provided the entertainment in the form of a blow torch to caramelise the sugar topping on the dessert at the table, which I’m sure kids would love to watch. The Crème Brûlée was divine, it’s one of my favourites and Rosso’s did not disappoint. 

Drink

Rosso’s has a good selection of soft drinks, hot drinks and alcoholic beverages, making it the perfect venue for both adults, children, and teetotal diners. 

My glass of Chardonnay Venezie Ventiterre was delicately balanced in accompanying the meal and was very easy drinking. My husband ordered what he thought was a Birra Moretti, but the menu actually said Poretti, which Mada hilariously described as 'a brother from another mother and essentially a much taster beer’!

When we had finished our meal, a limoncello shot was delivered with the bill, this is a traditional Italian lemon liqueur and ended the meal very nicely indeed!

Verdict

We had a great evening at Rosso’s, the location is perfect, the views are unbeatable, the décor is very classy, totally different to the other more traditional Italians in Poole. 

The team are incredibly welcoming and Mada is an absolute asset to the restaurant, she was friendly, attentive and genuinely loves her job with every table she graced thoroughly enjoying their visit. 

The 2 chefs- Luri and Eugen cooked us a fabulous meal and told us how passionate they are about cooking with fresh local ingredients and serving great food. 

Rosso’s Italiano stands out to us because it’s a modern restaurant serving traditional food, prepared with love. The venue would appeal to everyone and is easily one of the best Italian restaurants in Poole, but don’t just take our word for it, book a table and taste for yourself. I’m sure we will be back soon! 

5/5